Beyond Roommates?
by baka-neko-fan
Summary: No, that was not innuendo! This is a totally AU fiction, but I had to do it. Basically, the Wammy boys meet Beyond Birthday. And he becomes one of their roommates. B-centric.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so... This is really random, but it was an idea I had a while back and I decided to make something of it. I know it's AU, but, bear with me, because you know putting Mello and B in the same room would be quite interesting, to say the least.

To fans of my other fictions- Yes, I know I'm a terrible person, and I apologize. I have writer's block and school stress. (The summer's another story.) Anyway, I hope to update everything soon.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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As far as most who claim to know him can remember, Beyond Birthday was always... Well... Eccentric. Perhaps it was genetic... Or, perhaps the more likely reason, was a traumatic experience that occurred when he was a child. Speaking of which, let's focus on that for a while. Forget about everything you know about the murder cases, whatever name you wish to refer to them as, and instead, picture a young boy- around the age of four- who looked painfully out-of-place. He was living in Japan, in an orphanage, but really, he was nothing like the other children. Nobody really expected him to be adopted in this lifetime. His skin was sickly pale, making his deep chocolate eyes stand out... But, an even more shocking feature was his jet-black hair, which caused him to look even _more_ pale. Naturally, this, along with his peculiar name, Beyond Birthday, just begged for children to tease him. This is where the story begins.

"Hey, Birthday," One of the older boys, commonly known as Akio jeered, "Better go inside, or you'll get a sunburn!"

"Aww, lay off him, Akio," Another older boy, named Reiji scolded, though Beyond already knew that this wouldn't relieve him of Akio's bullying. "Just because he looks like a mini-me of Michael Jackson is no reason to pick on him!" Both boys burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs. Beyond Birthday was used to this. He was picked on alot for his skin tone, to the point where he really didn't care anymore. Because of this, he didn't say anything, which seemed to annoy the older boys. "What's the matter, Birthday? You gonna cry?" Akio teased. When he still received no response, he kicked him in the stomach, simultaneously punching him in the jaw. Shockingly crimson blood trickled down from B's nose, though he still said nothing, and still shed no tears. He simply sat there, showing no emotions, as the older child continued to beat him. After several minutes of this, a female care-taker came bustling out of the building.

"Akio! Reiji! Leave Birthday alone!" She scolded, causing them to let B fall to the ground so they could run away. The woman gently pulled B back up on his feet, "Birthday, are you alright?" She asked softly.

"I'm fine, Numata-san..." B murmured, wiping the blood that wasn't already staining his shirt off of his face.

"Birthday..." Numata said gently, kneeling down to his height and resting her hands lightly on his shoulders, "Why do you let them hurt you? I know you're easily able to out-smart them and get away. Or even just avoid them all together. Birthday, you don't even try to fight back!"

B stared at the grass, watching an ant attempt to make it's way over a particularly long blade. "Please don't worry about me, Numata-san. I'm not worth it."

Naturally, hearing a boy of his age say something like that was absolutely heart-breaking. "Beyond! Don't say things like that!" A devastated Numata said, "What makes you think that?"

"...Nothing." B mumbled, stepping back to be free from her grasp, "Those boys don't bother me, so please don't worry." With this, he walked away, leaving Numata alone, looking rather depressed, still kneeling in the grass. B went directly to the bathroom to wash his face, but was distracted. He stared at the mirror, watching streams of blood make their way down the paths paved with dried blood. It was fascinating to him, really, how beautiful it looked. Unlike water, blood almost always seemed to know where it was going. he licked a little bit of the metallic-tasting liquid away from his lips and splashed his face with water, scrubbing with his fingers until it was clean again, then trudged off to his room.

He wasn't depressed, really... he was just... Lonely. He was pretty much certain that his chances of being adopted were painfully low. He really didn't have any friends, and Numata was the only person in the entire orphanage who was ever _nice_to him. B had overheard her telling the headmaster of her worries for him, but he, unlike her, was not afraid. In spite of what all of the children liked to say, he knew he was smart. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why he was lonely: lack of intelligent conversation.

There was a soft knock on the door, and B knew, without even hearing the voice that followed, who it was. "Birthday...? May I come in...?"

"The door's open, Numata-san." He replied quietly. The woman invited herself inside and sat down on the bed beside the boy. She did this often, as if she somehow thought that it might be of some comfort to him. It didn't help, really, but B didn't mind her company.

"Birthday," She murmured, "I spoke with the headmaster."

Already bored with the conversation, B asked lazily, "What did he say?"

"He said that there was a new orphanage opening up in England-"

B cut her off, "You think I'll be able to make friends in England? Look, Numata-san, no matter where you decide to stick me, I'm not going to be adopted, and I'm not going to make any friends! I'm not-"

"Birthday," Numata said smoothly, maintaining her calm attitude despite his rudeness, "It is an orphanage for gifted children. They cater to the needs of-"

"Gifted? Give me a break! Just because I'm surrounded by imbeciles doesn't mean I'm a genius!" B argued.

"No, you are, Birthday. You are far superior to your peers... I've seen it. This is a great opportunity for you. You can get away with the bullies here and have people to talk to who are on your level. The headmaster has already contacted them. They said that they will send a representitive from the orphanage to speak with you. I'm not saying you have to go... It's ultimately your decision... But at least speak with the man, alright?"

Beyond Birthday looked away, as if considering his options... But he'd already decided. If Numata didn't want him around anymore, he would leave. He would go to this orphanage and make her proud.


	2. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Hehe, I'm glad this seems to be well-liked so far. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I get writer's block... And I get lazy. Often. But here it is!

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Meeting with the man, whom Beyond Birthday was informed was to be called "Mr. Roger," took much less time than he had expected. They met in one of the orphanage's many conference rooms, where orphans met to get to know prospective parents. Most of these rooms were coated with thick layers of dust from misuse. Beyond sat quietly on the overstuffed chair that he had been provided, facing "Mr. Roger," who sat on a similar chair. Numata was, as B earlier requested, sitting beside the boy in a less comfortable wooden dining chair. There was a silence for a few moments before Roger finally asked, speaking in fluent Japanese, "I've heard a lot about you, Beyond." The pale boy shifted uncomfortably, saying nothing. "Would you mind taking a little test for me?" The older man asked when it was apparent that he was getting no response from the boy.

B nodded and mumbled, his voice dry, "I will." Roger asked Beyond Birthday a series of questions, all of which were answered immediately and emotionlessly.

Finally, the stream of questions stopped with one final look to the boy. "Beyond, I'm going to have to ask you to excuse us for a moment. I would like to speak with Numata-san alone."

He glanced from Roger to Numata and nodded, "Okay." He stood and left the room obediently, though his curiosity got the better of him as soon as the door was closed. He leaned against the heavy oak and pressed his ear close to it. He could just barely make out the muffled conversation on the other side.

"...A very smart boy. I just worry about him. The other children here treat him unfairly," Numata was saying.

"I understand. He certainly is different..." Roger replied, "Tell me, has he always been this... somber?"

"Well... No. When he first arrived, he was the happiest, most determined child on campus. He threw himself into his work and participated in class regularly, always with a smile... But then the other children began to tease him for it, eventually getting physical. His smile slowly faded away, though his dedication was always there. He kept to himself and never once fought back or attempted to run away." There was a sigh, "I just want to see him smile like that again. I thought that this might be a good opportunity for him to get to know some other bright children. I'm sure that they would be able to understand him a bit better. Maybe he could even make some friends, and learn to smile again..." That was enough for Beyond Birthday. He didn't want to hear any more. He stood and went off to his room. It didn't matter if Roger accepted him or not. He couldn't stay anymore. He didn't want Numata to worry about him. He didn't want to be a burden. So, he went to his room and began to pack his bags.

Beyond had only just finished packing and was lying on his bed when Numata walked in. She frowned when she saw the luggage sitting beside the door. "Beyond, were you packing?" He shrugged in response. "You shouldn't do things like this. You could just be setting yourself up for a big disappointment."

Beyond rolled his eyes. She didn't understand. How could she? He contemplated explaining, but then decided that it was more trouble than it was worth and asked softly, "What did Mr. Roger say?"

Numata sat at the foot of Beyond Birthday's bed and said gently, "He said that you are a brilliant child and that they would be happy to take you, but only if you want to go... Beyond, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He muttered, sitting up. He looked Numata in the eye, easily detecting her worry, her hope... "I'll go with him."

"You will?" She asked, clearly excited about this, "That's wonderful, Beyond-"

"For you." He added, "Because I don't want you to worry." With this, he stood silently and gathered his bags, leaving the room without so much as a good-bye. That was the last time he saw Numata, and the last time he thought about her. From that point on, everything was L.

During the entire plane ride to England, Roger told Beyond Birthday about Wammy's. For the most part, B tuned him out, but when L was mentioned, his attention was captured. He was fascinated by the stories of all of the crimes the man had solved, by all of the things he had done. Slowly, he gained respect for L. Slowly, he began to see L as a role model... Slowly, he began to wish he could _be_ L. Naturally, his mind was consumed with the idea when Roger finally got around to telling B that it was, in fact, possible. He said that, from all of the children at Wammy's, the brightest and most competent would, in fact, be chosen to inherit the name of "L." By the time the boy left the plane, he had found a new purpose; a new reason to live. To become L. If that wasn't possible; well.... He would just have to _beat_ him. Either way, he would come out on top. Either way, he would be number one. ((A/N: Sounding familiar?))

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Short chapter, I know... But that seemed like a good place to end it. Hopefully the next one will be much longer to make up for it!


End file.
